NUMARKxx


MERCHANDISING AND RETAIL EXCELLENCE


C


ustomer service starts before your customers enter your pharmacy. The pharmacy


environment is critical in enticing customers in, as it is the showcase for your entire business offering. Your retail environment communicates a message to existing and potential customers about how your business operates – is it clean and tidy focusing on medicines, services and advice or is it overstocked, dark with no signs of a pharmacy offering, other than dispensing prescriptions?


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Research conducted by Numark tells us that eight out of 10 patients would not use your pharmacy to pick up a prescription if your retail environment isn’t up to standard. If your retail environment isn’t inviting, how many prescriptions could you be losing out on from potential customers?


Your potential customers are probably used to shopping in major supermarkets that have attractive surroundings. They are used to only choosing between one or two brand leaders and one own brand; they know where to find products and which products are brand leaders/ beacon brands - they are retail savvy and understand merchandising and marketing. As such, for many independent pharmacies, we need to raise our standards to match our communities’ expectations.


HERE ARE SOME TOP TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR RETAIL ENVIRONMENT.


1. First of all – walk out of the front door of your pharmacy, cross the road and take a look at what you are faced with. Do you like it? If you were a patient/customer, would you go in? If the answer is no, change what is obvious. Don’t just do this once – do it once a month, or at least once a quarter.


2. Clean and clear your windows and doors – too many messages in your window creates confusion and can give the appearance that your pharmacy is disorganised.


44 - PharMacy In focUS ten patients would


3. Use gondola ends for promotional displays and, where possible, make sure they can be seen through the window. This portrays that you are price competitive and helps to dispel the myth that pharmacy is an expensive place to buy product.


4. Remove all hand-written point of sale and dayglo stars – customers expect to see these in pound shops and at car boot sales and flea markets. They do not expect to see them in pharmacy as they do not promote a professional image.


5. Ensure product and shelving is clean and dust free at all times. Dusty products indicate to a customer that the product is nearly out of date and will not be purchased. It also portrays a lack of interest in your business and your customers.


6. Face all products forward at the end of each day or first thing in the morning. The appearance of a full shelf is much more appealing than one that looks like you are selling the last product in the range.


7. Ensure there are no gaps on the shelves, perform regular stock audits and have replacement stock to hand


8. Limit the number of items you stock - too much stock confuses customers and they may walk away without making a purchase. The optimum number of products in pharmacy is around 2,000 so try to avoid overstocking, especially if you have the benefit of receiving twice-daily deliveries from your wholesalers. If you haven’t got it, you can get it within the day.


9. Don’t just sell products – sell complete solutions. If you are selling a cold remedy, why not offer a tissue as well? Or if someone is coming in regularly with a common complaint such as cracked lips and you are selling them lip care, you are not offering a complete solution. Talk to them about their diet – are they suffering


from a vitamin deficiency? This is advice/information they would not get from a grocer.


10. Don’t crowd aisles - no display is effective unless the customer can see it and reach it. It can also be a health and safety hazard.


11. Use your counter staff to encourage sales. A simple ‘your prescription will be about five minutes, please take a look around while you wait’ may just encourage people to wait around and purchase. If ten people are told this and five actually do it, two may purchase – that’s two more sales than you would have had.


So, now that you have achieved the basics, reviewed your range and refreshed your retail space, the next step is to ensure the products on shelf are presented in a professional and logical manner using well-established merchandising techniques.


The importance of merchandising is also often neglected, however in times such as these when pressures on pharmacy are increasing, the need to find alternative sources to boost profitability and drive sales is paramount. Investing in merchandising is a good place to start and presents an opportunity for substantial growth.


That said, it can be challenging to achieve amongst the day-to-day


running of your business. That’s why Numark have partnered with Positive Solutions to develop a bespoke merchandising service designed offer the best service at an affordable price.


OUR SERVICE INCLUDES:


• A merchandiser to rearrange the display of your fixtures according to the latest techniques


• Sales data analysis (if this can be obtained from the EPoS)


• Range review and top up order


• Photo planograms post merchandising


• Six months Stock Advisor reports


• Point of sale material for promotional sections provided


• Staff training on the principles of merchandising


If you wish to register your interest for the service, visit www.numarknet.com/8752 You can also go online to access a range of retail support materials and resources to help grow your business.


Alternatively, contact Cathy Crossthwaite to discuss the portfolio of support available to help you develop your retail space.


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